On March 29, nearly a 150 people from across Kentucky and central Appalachia gathered in Harlan County for a community conversation with each other and with Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, as part of the national listening tour of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.

Tonight, on February 26, the Newport City Commission voted unanimously to approve a Syringe Access Exchange! This was the result of concentrated grassroots work lead by Newport residents over the past 5 months.

This past October several Newport residents began attending City Commission meetings to talk about the need for syringe access exchange, often referred to as a needle exchange, in their community. Partnering with Democratic Socialists of America of Metro Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, they began a campaign to build support for the exchange in their community.